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Thursday, September 7, 2017

DILG spearheads training on strengthening local
ADAC in SurSur

By Nida Grace P. Barcena

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur, Sept. 7 (PIA) - In
response to the massive campaign on “war against illegal drugs” nationwide, the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Surigao del Sur
provincial office with the support of the provincial government spearheads the Roll-Out
Training on Strengthening the Local Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (ADAC) in Surigao
del Sur held at Villa Maria Luisa Hotel.

The two-day activity, which started Monday,
September 4, aims to strengthen the capacities of the local ADACs and other
relevant local mechanism in suppressing the drug problem in the province, as
well as in the whole nation.

During the first day of the session, PDEA Agent
Janmark Malibiran in his presentation on illegal drug problem bared that the
actual cause of the drug problem in the country, first and foremost is the
unlimited demand for drugs, and secondly, “limited demand reduction initiatives
down to the barangay level.”

To combat on the issues raised, President Rodrigo
Roa Duterte issued the Executive Order No. 15 series 2017 on the “Creation of
an Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) and Anti-Illegal Drug
Task Force to suppress the Drug Problem in the Country,” said Malibiran.

The ICAD, according to Malibiran, shall ensure that
each member agency shall implement and comply with all policies, laws and
issuances pertaining to the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign, in an integrated
and synchronized manner.

Meanwhile, Surigao del Sur Governor Vicente
Pimentel Jr., urged the local chief executives of the province to help and
support the implementation of “war against illegal drugs” in their respective
areas. (PIA-Surigao del Sur)

Dr. Wilfredo Roehl Y. Licuanan, in his talk
entitled “Current Status of PH Coral Reefs and Prospects for the Near
Future," recommended to “fix the reef first before transplant.”

He was speaking in the recent forum on National
Coral R&D Program which highlighted the current status of the Philippine
coral reefs, the importance of research for the conservation of corals, the
exploration of our scientists and researchers of the Philippine Rise and its
overall impact to the economy of the Philippines. Organized by the Department
of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and
Natural Resources (DOST-PCAARRD), particularly the Marine Resources Research
Division headed by Dr. Mari-Ann M. Acedera, the forum was part of the recent
2017 National Science and Technology Week celebration.

“Reefs do not form overnight. They take thousands
of years to develop,” he said adding that the coral reef crisis cannot be
resolved by coral gardening as it is expensive and is not practical.

Coral gardening is the cultivation of corals for
commercial purposes or coral reef restoration.

According to him, the method is also risky as
instead of actually repairing the damaged coral reef, it might harm the reef
even more.

Another sad reality is that, he said, 80 percent of
the coral mortality is actually caused by various human activities and not
natural calamities.

Take for example the case of the minesweeper ship
USS Guardian that on January 17, 2013 ran aground on the south atoll of the
Tubbataha Reefs, a delicate ecosystem in the Sulu Sea treasured for its rich
marine biodiversity.

The grounding damaged 2,345 square meters of coral
on the reefs, considered a World Heritage Site by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

“The better thing to do is to take care of the
remaining reefs,” he said.

Dr. Patrick C. Cabaitan, also a speaker, discussed
the topic ‘Sexual Production of Corals and Why Sex is not Enough?’

He said that studying coral reefs is essential to
the economy of the Philippines as they also provide for the ecotourism of the
country. He emphasized that scientific intervention is an important tool in
coral production.

“Corals reproduce through asexual and sexual means
but sex is not enough for the corals,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cesar L. Villanoy, in his talk
entitled ‘Updates on the Oceanography of the Benham Rise’, discussed his past
researches and the importance of understanding the movement of the waters
around the Philippines.

His researches addressed pressing concerns of the
country particularly in fisheries, harmful algal blooms, storm surges and other
complex dynamics of archipelagic oceanography.

He said that it’s vital to understand the movement
of the waters and its temperature to be able to formulate policies with regards
to management of the country's marine resources.

He also reminds everyone to always consider the
processes that determine our physical environment in order to explain the
ecology of organisms and the observed trends.

Dr. Hildie Maria E. Nacorda, in her talk entitled
‘On the Benham Bank Biodiversity: Taking Learning to the Next Step’, discussed
the expeditions the Philippines has done to determine the economic potential of
Benham Rise, now called the Philippine Rise.

Though the two expeditions done in 2014 and 2016
have discovered the existence of marine species in the Philippine Rise, Dr.
Nacorda said that further studies are needed to fully understand the potential
of the rise.

Initial findings of the nationwide assessment of
Philippine coral reefs

In relation to this call to the public of the
marine experts to help in the preservation of the remaining coral reefs, DOST
and Department of Environment and Natural Resources are working on a coral reef
assessment throughout the country to create a National Coral Reef Status next
year.

This is because despite of the Philippine
archipelago being well known for its species-rich coral reefs, there is a lack
of updated information on the present status of its coral reefs.

The initial findings of the Nationwide Assessment of
Philippine Coral Reefs by Licuanan, et al were published in the Philippine
Journal of Science last June 2017.

Reefs samples were randomly selected from around
the country, with the number of assessment stations for each of six
biogeographic regions stratified by the total area of reefs in each of these
regions. For two years, 166 reefs have been sampled.

Based on live coral cover, more than 90 percent of
the sampled reefs are in the poor and fair categories.

So far, the mean hard coral cover of the country at
22 percent is comparable with that of the Indo-Pacific region, but much lower
than previous estimates for the Philippines.

These values indicate a marked decline in the
condition of local reefs over the last four decades, thereby revealing the urgent
need for the revision and update of conservation and management policies.
(S&T Media Service/PIA-Caraga)

Alegre said that Siargao has rapidly become the
sought-after paradise, especially that the flights to the island from Manila
and Cebu, vice versa, are now on a daily basis.

“While the conflict in Mindanao is confined only in
Marawi City, the region still has other areas to offer tourists like Siargao
and Davao,” he added.

On her part, Governor Sol F. Matugas gave her word
that it is safe for both domestic and foreign investors to transact official
tourism-related business in Siargao in the face of the martial law imposition
in Mindanao by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, which was extended up to December 31 of
this year.

Cloud 9 Beach in General Luna, Siargao has been
ranked as the fifth best surfing spot in the world, by Conde Nast Traveler, an
international travel magazine.

“While certainly not the only must-catch wave in
the area, surfers have been chasing down Cloud Nine’s hollow tube waves since
the 1980’s,” Conde Nast Travel said.

Jacking Horse which is also situated in Siargao was
also cited by the international magazine as an alternative surfing mecca.

Cloud Nine is now universally-acclaimed to be in
the league of the top surfing centers on the planet like Bondi Beach in
Australia; Les Cavaliers in France; and Huntington Beach and Mavericks Beach,
both in California.

Also included were Nazare in Portugal; Playa Grande
in Costa Rica; Pipeline, Oahu in Hawaii; Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa; and
Tofino, Vancouver Island in Canada. (PGO-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)

US transfers M40 field protective masks to AFP

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 7 (PIA) - Officials from the
Joint United States Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) delivered 1,000 M40
field protective masks and C2 filter canisters to the Philippine Navy (PN)
through the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) on August 30 to 31, 2017.

As the fighting continues in Mindanao, the PN
requested these gas masks in order to better prepare the sailors and marines to
respond to chemical threats.

This transfer is part of a series of ongoing
transfers from the U.S. military to multiple branches of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) through MLSA and the security assistance program.

Through the MLSA, the AFP is able to receive select
munitions and equipment from U.S. military stock in an accelerated process
reserved for allies and close partners of the United States.

The United States is proud to work closely with the
Republic of the Philippines and will continue to support capacity-building
counterterrorism efforts and the AFP’s long-term modernization goals. (U.S.
Embassy/PIA-Caraga)